BoxRec

tonyevs wrote:Also,

I`m surprised there hasn`t been more critism towards Roach being his trainer. Roach, trains boxers in a similar style to how he used to fight -primarily attacking.
This I feel is totally the wrong style for Khan, I think he went for a big name trainer with little or no consideration to what style they would try to develop, sure he gets top sparring, but as Calzaghe has shown by staying in his gym, sparring big names isn`t always needed.

Exoddus wrote:

Boxers can boss sparring sessions but be beaten when it really counts by the very same guys.

Audley said he sparred with Sprott on and off for 3 years. He said Sprott didn't hurt him once in all their sparring sessions. When it came down to it. Sprott knocked him into next week.

Ant Evans wrote:Yeah, and as for next week's farce, Khan is already down to "headline" Birmingham show Feb 21 which shows Dec 6 opponent - I forget his name - is a bum.

In case you are interested, Gavin, the unlikable James DeGale and couple of other Athens boys will also be knocking over stiffs on the same show.

MightyWarrior wrote:I read that Gary Stretch wasn't going to be standing in for Roach, as he couldn't get a passport sorted, which seems a bit bizzare..then Khan said Freddy decided GS didn't have the experience...
Wonder who will second Khan - not Tangerine Dean "The Dream" Powell?

Riddick Blowe wrote:DOesnt matter to me - all that matters is that I be shipped the bones! Fagan KO 5!

Round odds for fagan aren't good at all though.

Dioufy wrote:I think Khan's stopping Fagan here. Obviously it probably won't be with a single shot but I can see Khan's speed and power breaking Oisin down, probably a bit like the Gomez fight but without a knock-down against Khan. Khan within eight rounds for me.

Asterix wrote:

MightyWarrior wrote:I read that Gary Stretch wasn't going to be standing in for Roach, as he couldn't get a passport sorted, which seems a bit bizzare..then Khan said Freddy decided GS didn't have the experience...
Wonder who will second Khan - not Tangerine Dean "The Dream" Powell?

There was an article on the Stretch situation. I saw an open media workout with Khan and Stretch was observing in the corner, giving Khan water when needed, but Roach was doing all of the training. Roach said a few words to Stretch that looked like he was explaining something about Khan/training.

Here is the article (or blog, rather): http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/gareth_a._ ... _khan_camp

Speaking to BBC Sport Stretch said: "It’s nothing to do with me and Amir, but politics has got in the way.

"I read somewhere that I didn’t have a licence and somewhere else that I didn’t have a visa, but that’s not right, Freddie got me a licence in Nevada.

"So I was all ready to go, but on the day of the flight I got a phone call and it was Freddie asking me not to go. I have to honour Freddie.

"Dean Powell [allegedly’s chief matchmaker, who will be in charge of Khan’s corner for Saturday’s fight] is a good second, but he doesn’t really know boxing."

sweetscience wrote:

Riddick Blowe wrote:DOesnt matter to me - all that matters is that I be shipped the bones! Fagan KO 5!

Round odds for fagan aren't good at all though.

you must have lost a fortune on Khan you bet on him getting sparked in every fight

fatton wrote:

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Emerson edit your post, Im trying to catch him out

The Wildcard obviously, the guy wasn't sure, he wasn't there for the spar but was told afterwards, supposedly it was just a flash knockdown, nothing major and the spar went on as normal afterwards. He just said it was some prospect who trains out of there who's 6 or 7 and 0. I'm only repeating what I heard and assuming it did happen does anyone expect Freddie Roach to come out and say "Yeah, Amir was knocked down in sparring". Obviously he and the rest of the camp will deny it, I'm only repeating what I was told. No need to try and "catch" me out at all.

Captain Hook wrote:

tonyevs wrote:He's still a very good prospect and in my opinion a likeable guy, I don't see why so many people are down on him.

oliverfennell wrote:

Captain Hook wrote:

tonyevs wrote:He's still a very good prospect and in my opinion a likeable guy, I don't see why so many people are down on him.

coneye wrote: Because he's a big headed cocky little shite, who disrespected other fighters , called them out , when all the time HE KNEW his boss would never allow it . He forgot who was feeding him and got carried away with his own BULLSHIT propaganda .

Gary Stretch says boxing "politics" means he will not be in Amir Khan's corner for the lightweight's clash with Irishman Oisin Fagan on Saturday.

Ex-British light-middleweight champion Stretch has been helping Freddie Roach train Khan in Los Angeles.

And with Roach unable to be in London this week, Stretch had hoped to be Khan's chief second at the ExCeL Arena.

"It's nothing to do with me and Amir, but politics has got in the way," Stretch told BBC Sport.

"I read somewhere that I didn't have a licence and somewhere else that I didn't have a visa, but that's not right, Freddie got me a licence in Nevada.

"So I was all ready to go, but on the day of the flight I got a phone call and it was Freddie asking me not to go. I have to honour Freddie.

"I'm gutted. I really like the kid and have enjoyed the whole process with him, and the corner's going to be important [against Fagan].

"The thing with Amir is, he's a great learner and a great listener, but you have to stay on top of him

"I've heard from people who've sparred with Fagan that he's a tough kid and if the fight goes long and Amir isn't disciplined he could get himself into trouble.

"But he's coming back, he's going to work with us after Christmas again and probably from there we'll be with him all the way."

In his fighting days, Stretch was also trained by Roach, who will be in Manny Pacquiao's corner for the Filipino superstar's bout with Oscar de la Hoya in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Stretch has been working with Khan in Roach's Wild Card Gym for the last month and believes Khan is capable of recovering from being knocked out in one round by Breidis Prescott in September.

"When Freddie signed to train Amir [Cuban Jorge Rubio was dismissed after the Prescott defeat], he wanted someone he could trust and so he called me out of the blue," said Stretch, who lost a world title challenge to Chris Eubank in 1991.

"I had seen Amir on television and wasn't overly impressed, but after being in the gym with him for a month I'm very impressed

"Amir's biggest problem is that he's a little gung-ho, and his last fight showed you can't be like that at this level.

"You don't last long in the business if you're like that. He hopefully wants a career that lasts eight to 10 years and that won't happen with the style he has.

"We've been trying to get him to be a little bit more elusive, and he's been taking that on board. There's been big, big changes.

"People talk about him having a glass chin, but last week I saw him get hit by Manny Pacquiao with a really good shot and he didn't flinch.

"If you look at the great fighters, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, when they got hit they were usually sliding off the shot, they rarely got hit full on. Amir gets hit full-on because he just stands there.

"So we've been working on getting him slipping and sliding and feinting, trying to get him to work his way in with a little bit more caution. At world-class level he's got to be a lot smarter, a little more scientific.

"The knockout doesn't seem to have affected him, he's not gun-shy. He's also punching much harder - we've changed some of his balance and leverage on shots, and he's punching like a mule, maybe 50% harder than when he got here. He's looking fabulous."

Stretch added that the 21-year-old Khan from Bolton has been "more than holding his own" with four-weight world champion Pacquiao in sparring and that Khan could be ready to challenge Ricky Hatton in two fights' time.

Stretch, now an actor who starred in multi-award-winning film Dead Man's Shoes in 2004, added: "Amir and Manny have been tit-for-tat, very competitive. You get the feeling that if the fight went on too long Manny would have a bit too much for him.

"But over three, four rounds Amir holds his own and more than that some days. Manny can play around with a lot of the guys, but he can't play around with Amir."

"I'd like to see him fight Ricky Hatton, and in a year's time maybe, if they're both successful in their next two fights, that would be a great fight for England."

"Stretch added that the 21-year-old Khan from Bolton has been "more than holding his own" with four-weight world champion Pacquiao in sparring and that Khan could be ready to challenge Ricky Hatton in two fights' time. "

Ant Evans wrote:Yeah, and as for next week's farce, Khan is already down to "headline" Birmingham show Feb 21 which shows Dec 6 opponent - I forget his name - is a bum.

In case you are interested, Gavin, the unlikable James DeGale and couple of other Athens boys will also be knocking over stiffs on the same show.

oliverfennell wrote:

Captain Hook wrote:

tonyevs wrote:He's still a very good prospect and in my opinion a likeable guy, I don't see why so many people are down on him.

You actually like something??